Iron, GLA and dht- an hypothesis

[autonmousone1980]

Kinda weird but you would think that these arent very closely connected but they are related.

Its been said that iron has been attributed to hairloss and i may have figured out why. the enzyme 5 alpha reductase is almost completly blocked by a 15 lipoxygenase metabolite of GLA, the lipoxygnase enzyme relys on iron to be synthesized by the body, so the hypothesis is that if you are low on iron or gla or both simultaneously, 5 alpha reductase enzyme will not be as inhibited, leaving dht to increase and influence hairloss. It has also been observed that as we age our ability to make gla declines, so perhaps this is one other reason why hairloss happens as we age.

Before you say you have male pattern baldness, perhaps you are low in iron and thus enzymes containing iron or your ability to make gla is declining. I find it impossible for everyone with alopecia to just immediatly assume it genetics alone after alopecia is a symtom of so many other things and is also why i think most doctors are quacks when they hardly take a look at you and think they know whats up with your hair, they couldnt possibly know with a high degree of certainty without taking many blood tests, so yea lots of quacks out there, unless you are lucky.

 

[autonmousone1980]

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2002 Nov;82(4-5):393-400

5 alpha-reductase-catalyzed conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone is increased in prostatic adenocarcinoma cells: suppression by 15-lipoxygenase metabolites of gamma-linolenic and eicosapentaenoic acids.

Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, TB-192, One Shields Avenue, 95616, USA.

Although the androgens, testosterone (T) and its highly active metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT) play a role in the development and progression of prostate cancer, the mechanism(s) are unclear. Furthermore, 5 alpha-reductase which catalyze the conversion of T to DHT, has been a target of manipulation in the treatment of prostatic cancer, hence synthetic 5 alpha-reductase activity inhibitors have shown therapeutic promise. To demonstrate that nutrients derived from dietary sources can exert similar therapeutic promise, this study was designed using benign hyperplastic cells (BHC) and malignant tumorigenic cells (MTC) derived from Lobund-Wistar (L-W) rat model of prostatic adenocarcinoma to test the effects of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and their 15-lipoxygenase metabolites on cellular 5 alpha-reductase activity. Our data revealed: (i) that incubation of MTC with [3H]-T resulted in marked conversion to [3H]-DHT when compared to similar incubation with BHC; (ii) that DHT-enhanced activity of 5 alpha-reductase was inhibited 80% by 15S-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid, the 15-lipoxygenase metabolite of GLA, when compared to 55% by 15S-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid, the 15-lipoxygenase metabolite of EPA; and (iii) that their precursor fatty acids, respectively, exerted moderate inhibition. Taken together, the study underscores the biological importance of 15-lipoxygenase metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in androgen metabolism.

 

[Armando Jose]

It is very interesting

Thank you for your input

Armando

 

[autonmousone1980]

from wiki-
Lipoxygenases are a family of iron-containing enzymes that catalyse the dioxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in lipids containing a cis,cis-1,4- pentadiene structure.

so it is not crazy to think that if you were low on iron, the lipoxygenase enzyme would take a back seat to say making hemoglobin to transport oxygen in the blood, which also depends on iron.



Also the bodys ability to make gla depends on the delta 6 desaturase enzyme see illustration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:EFA_ ... anoids.svg this enzyme relies on B6, zinc, and magnesium listed in order of importance, although im still trying to find a more reliable source as to how this enzyme is formed, taking more of these vitamins would not hurt anybody, but gives a little support for the masturbation theory, as you lose alot of zinc in your semen, if you are deficient that is going to throw off the production of this enzyme, or even stress from the depletion of b vitamins to make energy for fight or flight, this enzyme may suffer, leading to less gla and less 5 alpha reductase inhibition.

also omega 3's and omega 6's compete for the same enzymes and ive heard many reports of people starting to lose their hair from taking flaxseed oil which is high in alpha linolenic acid, which competes with the same enzyme that is used to make gla, so id say guys stay far away from flax seed at all costs, but borage oil is your best friend, as it contains preformed gla.

also if you look at the chart again you will see that epa from fish oil competes with arachidonic acid for the same enzyme, which becomes crucial if you are taking extra gla which if there is too much the body will turn it into AA so long as the are enough free delta 5 desaturase, so borage oil and fish oil make a great combo and also maxing out your iron in a safe way, but iron is probably the most dangerous vitamin to take so always closely monitor your intake or even just get a blood test to check your levels.

 

[autonmousone1980]

1: Proteins. 1996 Mar;24(3):275-91.Links
Structure conservation in lipoxygenases: structural analysis of soybean lipoxygenase-1 and modeling of human lipoxygenases.Prigge ST, Boyington JC, Gaffney BJ, Amzel LM.
Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Lipoxygenases are a class of non-heme iron dioxygenases which catalyze the hydroperoxidation of fatty acids for the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and lipoxins. The structure of the 839-residue soybean lipoxygenase-1 was used as a template to model human 5-, 12-, and 15-lipoxygenases. A distance-based algorithm for placing side chains in a low homology environment (only the four iron ligands were fixed during side chain placement) was devised. Twenty-six of the 56 conserved lipoxygenase residues were grouped in four distinct regions of the enzyme. These regions were analyzed to discern whether the side chain interactions could be duplicated in the models or whether alternate conformers should be considered. The effects of site directed mutagenesis variants were rationalized using the models of the human lipoxygenases. In particular, variants which shifted positional specificity between 12- and 15-lipoxygenase activity were analyzed. Analysis of active site residues produced a model which accounts for observed lipoxygenase positional specificity and stereospecificity.



if anyone is interested in testing this hypothesis, blackstrap molasses is a great source of non-heme iron, you can get 20% daily value in one tablespoon, although cooked spinach, prune juice, and raisins may be a tastier choice, non-heme is plant sources and heme is meat sources nuts are also a tasty source of non-heme iron as well.


Also ive read that iron deficiency is the number one vitamin deficiency, its more common in women, but it is still something to consider.

 

[autonmousone1980]

European Journal of Dermatology. Volume 17, Number 6, 507-12, November-December 2007, Investigative report

Author(s) : Claire Deloche, Philippe Bastien, Stéphanie Chadoutaud, Pilar Galan, Sandrine Bertrais, Serge Hercberg, Olivier de Lacharrière

Summary : Iron deficiency has been suspected to represent one of the possible causes of excessive hair loss in women. The aim of our study was to assess this relationship in a very large population of 5110 women aged between 35 and 60 years. Hair loss was evaluated using a standardized questionnaire sent to all volunteers. The iron status was assessed by a serum ferritin assay carried out in each volunteer. Multivariate analysis allowed us to identify three categories: “absence of hair lossâ€￾ (43%), “moderate hair lossâ€￾ (48%) and “excessive hair lossâ€￾ (9%). Among the women affected by excessive hair loss, a larger proportion of women (59%) had low iron stores (<\; 40 µg/L) compared to the remainder of the population (48%). Analysis of variance and logistic regression show that a low iron store represents a risk factor for hair loss in non-menopausal women



do you not think this could also be a factor in men???

 

[squeegee]

Good post b**ch! unk:

 

[mj9]

so the hypothesis is that if you are low on iron or gla or both simultaneously, 5 alpha reductase enzyme will not be as inhibited, leaving dht to increase and influence hairloss. .

ok i might not have read the whole thing properly so i am apologising in advance, but i thought balding and no balding men had the same level of dht but the determining factor was that balding men have follicles that are sensitive to dht... i.e. dht does not increase in balding men... follicles become more sensitive to dht....

 

[slowburn]

Kinda weird but you would think that these arent very closely connected but they are related.

Its been said that iron has been attributed to hairloss and i may have figured out why. the enzyme 5 alpha reductase is almost completly blocked by a 15 lipoxygenase metabolite of GLA, the lipoxygnase enzyme relys on iron to be synthesized by the body, so the hypothesis is that if you are low on iron or gla or both simultaneously, 5 alpha reductase enzyme will not be as inhibited, leaving dht to increase and influence hairloss. It has also been observed that as we age our ability to make gla declines, so perhaps this is one other reason why hairloss happens as we age.

Before you say you have male pattern baldness, perhaps you are low in iron and thus enzymes containing iron or your ability to make gla is declining. I find it impossible for everyone with alopecia to just immediatly assume it genetics alone after alopecia is a symtom of so many other things and is also why i think most doctors are quacks when they hardly take a look at you and think they know whats up with your hair, they couldnt possibly know with a high degree of certainty without taking many blood tests, so yea lots of quacks out there, unless you are lucky.

I agree that doctors brush off hair loss far to easy. I went to my general practitioner a couple months ago I asked him about my hair loss and without any testing pointed to his head which was bald and just called it male pattern baldness. I was like, that's it? I think I need to go to a dermatologist to have them check out and see exactly what is causing it.

Your theory about iron is quite interesting. Although most of what you posted came across pretty close to Chinese to me. lol :laugh:

 

[autonmousone1980]

so the hypothesis is that if you are low on iron or gla or both simultaneously, 5 alpha reductase enzyme will not be as inhibited, leaving dht to increase and influence hairloss. .

ok i might not have read the whole thing properly so i am apologising in advance, but i thought balding and no balding men had the same level of dht but the determining factor was that balding men have follicles that are sensitive to dht... i.e. dht does not increase in balding men... follicles become more sensitive to dht....

well from the top of my head, balding men just have more 5 alpha reductase enzyme activity, those who dont lose hair have less active enzyme.

The enzyme 5 alpha reductase is what turns testosterone into dht, less 5 alpha, less dht.
Whether or not the follicle is more sensitive to dht, i dont know for sure but what i am sticking to is the mechanism of finasteride which is, inhibit 5 alpha reductase, stop or get some hair back, so this is the premise my reasoning was structured upon.

So the enzyme 15 lipoxygenase enzyme converts gla into something that inhibits 5 alpha reductase supposedly, so this could theorectically replace finasteride but i wouldnt get my hopes too high, but it is very interesting. So i say increase 15 lipoxygenase by getting more non-heme iron, and take borage oil which contains gla and see what happens.

 

[mj9]

So the enzyme 15 lipoxygenase enzyme converts gla into something that inhibits 5 alpha reductase supposedly, so this could theorectically replace finasteride but i wouldnt get my hopes too high, but it is very interesting. So i say increase 15 lipoxygenase by getting more non-heme iron, and take borage oil which contains gla and see what happens.

has anyone ever tried this?

 

[autonmousone1980]

So the enzyme 15 lipoxygenase enzyme converts gla into something that inhibits 5 alpha reductase supposedly, so this could theorectically replace finasteride but i wouldnt get my hopes too high, but it is very interesting. So i say increase 15 lipoxygenase by getting more non-heme iron, and take borage oil which contains gla and see what happens.

has anyone ever tried this?

ive heard of one dude taking black strap molasses for a couple months and he said it was doing something but he stopped for some reason, buts that is the only thing ive ever read, other wise i dont hear many people talk about gla from borage at all, nor iron not many people have discussed even the two different forms of iron and most definitly not how they relate to 15 lipoxygenase.

But as with all abstract reasoning it is merely hypothetical, but still the reasoning is fairly sound and worth the effort its been a couple days for me and i havent seen any changes yet!!!!

I will jump the gun and says its a 50/50 chance of it doing anything so at least better then a shot in the dark, but it would still be cool if something happend, if you really want to take it too far, heh, perhaps its a major new discovery.

well not a new discovery more like a new use for some old sh*t, i really hate it the reasoning behind all topicals when the focus should be on what is going on inside, since thats where everything originates, topicals are like after the fact, the any of the drugs that i could tell you what the hell is in them, all i know is that they inhibit the right enzyme or enzymes. but i dont see why you couldnt manipulate the same enzymes with natural stuff that i actually know of its origin, but still perhaps were asking a bit much as i dont know nearly anything about biology and genetics.

 

[Hammy070]

I would say DHT doesn't cause hair loss, any more than a gun caused the death of JFK.

The underlying cause, there might not be a single one. It's perhaps a combination of things that cause it. This combination may have tons of benefits elsewhere, humans have so many compensatory functions, if a side-effect is baldness, evolution wouldn't really bat an eye-lid.

The cure for hairloss will be not so much finding the true cause and eliminating it. I think it will always be more mechanical. Like grafts.

Some of our cousins have hairloss too.

The primate stump tailed macaque regularly go bald, and infact, have been treated with minoxidil. :mrgreen:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3558911

 

[squeegee]

bUMP!!

 

[Sebastien]

so the fact that im taking fish oil (omega 3 6 9) is a good thing?

 

[MikeJay]

I have been taking the lake Avenue brand flax seed with lignan capsules ( All the 3 LAs) + 4g MSM from Sunfoods for 3 months

I have seen overall improvement in my hair growth . and on days wher ei tool a comprehensive multi vitamin pill ( ocean heath's pills) , i hair feels grwat to touch and stands straight. not sure why but it could be that all 3 in my regime are interacting with each other to create the effect.

 

[MikeJay]

I notice a general reduction in libido while taking GLA. does it mean it working to inhibit DHT?

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

You responded to a 10+ year old thread. I don’t think anyone will respond to your question.